Die EXIT-Prozedur als anästhesiologische Herausforderung

EXIT (ex utero intrapartum treatment) surgery for the management of fetal airway obstruction: A systematic review of the literature

PURPOSE

To provide a comprehensive overview of the perinatal and maternal outcomes of fetuses undergoing EXIT surgery for the management of fetal airway obstruction secondary to cervical or oral tumors.

METHODS

A comprehensive search from inception to September 2018 was conducted on databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and LILACS. All studies that reported an EXIT surgery in singleton were considered eligible. A descriptive analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Out of the 250 full-text study reports, 120 articles reporting 235 cases of EXIT surgery were included. EXIT surgery was performed at 35.1 weeks of gestation on average. The most frequent diagnosis was teratoma (46.4%, n = 109/235). There were 13 adverse maternal events, and the most frequent one was postpartum hemorrhage (4.7%, n = 11/235). No maternal death was reported. Fetal and neonatal death occurred in 17% (40/235) of the cases. There were 29 adverse fetal events (12.2%), and the most frequent one was the failure of intubation or tracheostomy (3.4%, n = 8/235).

CONCLUSION

EXIT surgery could be considered for the management of an oral or cervical tumor that's highly suspicious of blocking the fetal airway. This systematic review reports that EXIT surgery poses substantial risks of maternal and fetal adverse events, including neonatal death.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV case series with no comparison group.

Ultrasound evaluation of congenital cervical teratoma and therapeutic management (ex utero intrapartum treatment)

The ultrasound evaluation of the fetal neck has a high importance as a key point of the airway and digestive tract. We report the case of a fetus diagnosed with a cervical teratoma by ultrasound, which generated a compressive effect on airway, requiring a surgical approach EXIT (ex utero intrapartum treatment) to ensure the extrauterine viability.

Advances in obstetric anesthesia: anesthesia for fetal intrapartum operations on placental support

Fetal intrapartum operations on placental support (OOPS), also known as ex-utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedures, are very rare (and often challenging) surgical techniques designed to allow partial delivery (cesarean section) of a fetus with a potentially difficult airway, with subsequent management of the neonatal airway (direct laryngoscopy, fiberoptic bronchoscopy, or tracheostomy) while oxygenation is continuously maintained via the placenta (on placental support). The peripartum management of pregnant women and their fetuses undergoing OOPS is very complex and multidisciplinary, and differs greatly from that of standard cesarean sections. The goal of this article is to review the current recommendations for the peripartum anesthetic management of pregnant women carrying fetuses with fetal congenital malformations undergoing OOPS.